Alexandria: Slaters Lane Bike Lanes Meetings

[chris_s]

From Jonathan Krall of the Alexandria Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee:

This is a heads up. The Alexandria BPAC meeting tonight [9/20/2012] is also a public meeting to discuss the addition of bike lanes to Slaters Lane. I am told there may be opposition, so please come out if you can. (info: http://sites.google.com/site/alexandriabpac/ ). Slaters Lane is an important connection to the Mt Vernon Trail and is a designated bike route in the Alexandria master transportation plan.

This topic will also be discussed at the Traffic and Parking Board on Monday Sept 24. Please write to them in support of the bike lanes or attend the meeting to speak up for bike lanes.

Topic

[PotomacCyclist]

I didn’t see this until today. I wouldn’t have made the meeting anyway.

I’m glad to read about this. Slaters Lane is a tricky place to ride. It’s an important connector between Potomac Yard and Old Town, for those who choose to ride on Potomac Ave. instead of the Mt. Vernon Trail. I won’t be able to make the Sept. 24 meeting either, but I’ll send them an email this weekend in support of the bike lanes.

[Terpfan]

I also didn’t see this until now and regret it because I ended up not having an evening function and could have made it. I am very supportive of adding this as I live in th immediate vincinity. They left off two neighborhood organizations on the list that I saw in the Traffic Board folks. I will try to make it on Monday night, I’m 50/50 for then. Either way, I will definitely write in my support now: quick question, which option do I pick on the contact city council list? I don’t see that specific board listed? If I remember, I will post a notice in the bicycle room where I live too so other folks know about it.

[chris_s]

I’ve been told comments sent here will be passed along to the traffic board:

http://www3.alexandriava.gov/contactus/mailto.php?id=181

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[chris_s]

Good news! (again from Jonathan Krall)

Update: Bike lanes for Slater’s Lane were reviewed and supported by the Traffic and Parking Board, which means the city staff can go ahead and put them in (yay!). When speaking to the Board, Transportation and Environmental Services Director Rich Baier emphasized that the public conversation concerning the balance of cars versus bikes on the road will be repeated often over the next few years as Alexandria implements its Transportation Plan and its Complete Streets Policy. When speaking to me privately afterwords, he emphasized that the City Council is sensitive to the public on these issues, so continued support from the public will be needed as we build out the bicycle network.

[Terpfan]

@chris_s 32150 wrote:

Good news! (again from Jonathan Krall)

Update: Bike lanes for Slater’s Lane were reviewed and supported by the Traffic and Parking Board, which means the city staff can go ahead and put them in (yay!). When speaking to the Board, Transportation and Environmental Services Director Rich Baier emphasized that the public conversation concerning the balance of cars versus bikes on the road will be repeated often over the next few years as Alexandria implements its Transportation Plan and its Complete Streets Policy. When speaking to me privately afterwords, he emphasized that the City Council is sensitive to the public on these issues, so continued support from the public will be needed as we build out the bicycle network.

Yah I heard back that they will begin striping within the next two weeks or so. So very good news.

[ShawnoftheDread]

Have they recently repaved the street? I remember Slaters being pretty bad for potholes and bumps.

[txgoonie]

@ShawnoftheDread 32212 wrote:

Have they recently repaved the street? I remember Slaters being pretty bad for potholes and bumps.

It was repaved a couple of weeks ago and remains un-striped. I’m most stoked about the bike lane but glad they’ll be putting any kind of markings down at all! Some folks unfamiliar with the area don’t realize it’s 2 lanes, and I’ve seen a couple of people drift right into the access road b/c there’s no stop line at the intersection. Sketchy. Anyway, it’ll be nice to be able to safely access the MVT from there.

[chris_s]

@ShawnoftheDread 32212 wrote:

Have they recently repaved the street? I remember Slaters being pretty bad for potholes and bumps.

Yes, they repaved recently – that’s what prompted the change. Like Arlington, Alexandria tends to implement bike lane markings as repaving happens so as to get more bang for their buck (it’s gonna have to be restriped anyway, so their is little additional cost to putting bike lanes/sharrows/whatever down)

[chris_s]

That was quick. Go Alexandria!

[txgoonie]

Sweet:cool:

[Terpfan]

@chris_s 32274 wrote:

That was quick. Go Alexandria!

Wow that was quick because that wasn’t there last night when I went up to Buzz.

[DaveK]

@Terpfan 32290 wrote:

Wow that was quick because that wasn’t there last night when I went up to Buzz.

Does that Russian (?) place serve food or is it just a market? Always been curious about that…

[ShawnoftheDread]

@DaveK 32327 wrote:

Does that Russian (?) place serve food or is it just a market? Always been curious about that…

Market

[txgoonie]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1752[/ATTACH]

Went by there last night cuz I was curious. Westbound is now reduced to one lane; EB is still two. WB the bike lane ends and it goes back to two lanes at Portner Rd. (where Buzz/Rustic are), which is a bit of a bummer. I was kinda hoping they’d keep it one lane with an exit for SB Route 1 and continue the bike lane up to the bridge (which, painted green like in Arlington, would be awesome!). Oh well. Continue to change lanes with care! They have arrows in the bike lane but no actual bikers painted. I’m hoping that will be forthcoming.

[jpatterson8]

The bike lanes and re-paving are a double whammy of good news. When I used to live right at the corner of Slaters and Washington / GW Parkway, I used the Mount Vernon trail regularly. I think the small stretch near the intersection did lot more to beat my bike up than the MVT ever could. It’s good to know that the surface is now smoother and bikes won’t get rattled around as much when trying to get on MVT. Good for folks around the Braddock Road Metro area as well. Or even those from points south who may access the path from the Braddock Road stop when Old Town needs to be avoided for whatever reason.

[Author]

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